| From the Director - News and Updates
Steven Fair, ACSW Greetings from Renewal Christian Counseling Center, where we have been very busy and have exciting news to share with our community!
Our mission and purpose at Renewal Center has always focused us on making Faith-based clinical counseling available to ALL that would benefit! After gaining Accreditation from the Council on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) in 2005, we were able to become a Blue Cross Blue Shield provider, which enabled those with this insurance to receive services at either our Port Huron or Clinton Twp offices – and we were excited to be one of the few Christian Counseling Centers to offer services through Blue Cross. The under-privileged and un-insured, though, were still unable to access our services since we were not contracted with the local Community Mental Health (CMH) centers which manage state funding for Medicaid clients as well as those who are uninsured.
Accepting Medicaid
We are pleased to announce that we have applied for contracting through CMH in both St. Clair and Macomb Counties, and have just signed on with Macomb County CMH as a provider of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Outpatient Services! What this means is that any Macomb County resident that meets the CMH criteria for needing clinical treatment, and has Medicaid or does not have any insurance at all, may request our services by calling the Access Line in Macomb County at 586-948-0224. Please help us spread this good news to your family, friends, churches, and organizations and have them call the Access Center and request services at Renewal Christian Counseling!
New Child Psychiatrist
Another specific population that we have focused on providing services for have been our children. We at Renewal Center love children and families, and we are excited to be able to offer two new additions to our services. Dr. Teymour Sepahbodi, who has worked as a Child Psychiatrist for over 32 years and is currently the Medical Director at Harbor Oaks Hospital, is now on staff to work with our children at Renewal Center for assessment and treatment of childhood disorders. He is skilled at diagnosis and treatment of such conditions as ADHD, Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, Childhood Depression and Anxiety and all Behavioral Disorders. Dr. Sepahbodi will meet with children of all ages and work with our clinicians to give medical and behavioral interventions to the children and their families who are struggling in our communities.
New ADHD Assessment Program
But wait - there is more! We have also been approached by local family physicians recently who have asked us to solidify a community program for the assessment and treatment of childhood Attention Deficit Disorder that is affordable and comprehensive. We have answered the call and have launched a multi-disciplinary approach to accurate assessment of this disorder! Our goal is to correctly diagnose through a team approach, for an affordable price, and provide interventions that do not focus solely on medications! Children who struggle with distractibility, inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and resulting school and social difficulties need to be properly assessed, and our tools combined together show a validity rating in the high 90 percentile! For about $300 we are able to provide for a clinical assessment, psychological testing, and a Child Psychiatrist’s review of the findings to be then presented to the family at a second meeting for planning of interventions. A packet of information is often then sent to the child’s family physician for any medication considerations. Recommendations for clinical treatment and/or further assessment with the Child Psychiatrist personally may also be given at that time. If your child displays symptoms in this area, please make your appointment now, since our availability will likely be limited around school time! |
